


Morning After the Storm

by ohnospacey



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 18:37:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9397862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnospacey/pseuds/ohnospacey
Summary: Waking up in a strange room with a fuzzy memory leads Elio to connections he never thought he had with an unlikely companion.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [electricprince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricprince/gifts).



> Hey, cool, first post, and it's about OCs.
> 
> First off, property and concept of Xian belongs entirely to @inkrecovery @ Twitter! Thanks for sharing your OC with all of us! :D <3 Any questions about him will be forwarded to her as soon as possible.
> 
> Elio belongs to me, and I'm still figuring out his character, but please ask me if you have any questions about him!
> 
> And to @inkrecovery, surprise! I wrote this at school between classes, and I feel I should at least share with you, since it involves your character. Please tell me if anything about him seems OOC! I want to do him justice! D:
> 
> EDIT: Oh, and this is rated T+ because of mentions of sex/one-night stands. Just in case.
> 
> That's all. Enjoy!

The low light of a darkened room met Elio's eyes when he roused. Unfamiliar with the setting, he fought to remember last night's events. He supposed that a party of some sort took place, judging by his mild headache and dry throat.

Elio gingerly sat up, anticipating the deep soreness that tend to accompany one night stands. He's been through thousands of nights just like this; it's part of his long-standing lifestyle.

Yet, no soreness came. Only the stiffness of having been asleep in a single position for far too long.

That's strange. Perhaps he hadn't felt the need to seek another's warmth last night. At least in the carnal sense.

He did connect with someone, though. How else would he end up in a strange bedroom, in borrowed pajamas. His lithe build usually meant the clothing could be from anyone, though the current bagginess suggested someone on the masculine end of the spectrum.

Finally, Elio stood, noting his slight unsteadiness. Was he actually hungover? That was unusual, what with his solid constitution.

Did someone try to drug him?

Elio scoffed quietly at the idea. Even if they had, he would be the one with the last laugh.

He was an incubus, after all.

Though his current arrangement made for a fairly consistent collection of clientele, occasionally someone would put a hit out on him, at a rather steep price. Typical of the overzealous demon-averse ones, to be quite honest.

He shakily made his way to the door of the room, soft light leaking through the gap at the bottom where the hardwood floor continued. A savory scent met his nose, the smell of a hearty hangover breakfast being freshly made. Something Elio rarely got, considering how his nightly trysts typically went.

He opened the door, prepared to defend himself if the cook also happened to be his captor, when the man in the kitchen turned around.

Seeing his face brought back a wave of memories from last night. A bar, after closing up his own cafe, a series of colorful drinks, most of which were probably only concocted in this century. A woman, with her special-ordered cocktail. Things go fuzzy after that drink.

Yeah, the hunter had gotten him good this time.

"You doing any better?" the man inquires, "That last drink seemed to knock you on your ass."

Elio made his way silently to one of the barstools next to the counter where the man, Xian, he recalls, stood prepping eggs for scrambling. Coincidentally, Xian had also been present at the dingy bar last night. Odd for someone so devoted to cafe.

He sat there, mulling over a response for maybe too long, because Xian spoke again, "Gotcha, you're not a morning person. No rush to chat, I swear." He slid a mug of black coffee toward Elio with all the practiced grace of a seasoned barista, "Do you take cream or sugar?"

"... Cinnamon sugar, if you have it."

Xian smiled and quietly passed the condiment, before returning to his preparations. Elio added the cinnamon sugar and stirred lightly before taking his first sip. The scalding heat of the coffee burned, then warmed Elio. He set the mug down and held it in both hands, sapping what warmth he could before the drink became cold.

He should apologize, really, in case something did happen last night.

"I don't remember all of what transpired last night,"he began, "but I want to apologize for any unsavory actions I may have made toward you-"

"Thanks, but you never did anything? You literally passed out on me at the bar after that drink, so I made something up about how you had worked really hard for the past few days, and it must have caught up to you all at once."

Elio's gaze was locked on Xian, in full disbelief that someone would go so far for a lowly being like himself, "Y-you did all that. For me?"

"Yeah, of course! That chick seemed shady, like she wasn't after you for love or lust... I didn't trust how she acted. Let's just say I have a second sense for that sort of thing."

"I'll take your word on it," Elio nonchalantly took another sip, the sweet-spice of the cinnamon sugar almost satisfying his craving for his preferred flavor of the spice of life. Much harder to come by these days.

Xian finished his cooking, simple cheese omelettes, and sat at the counter next to Elio after sliding a matching omelette to him. Elio began to eat bites of egg quietly between sips of coffee.

"... So where are my clothes?" he finally asked.

Xian's head whipped up, bits of egg stuck to his right cheek, "Oh right!" He went to stand while explaining, " I put them in the wash; they smelled of bad drinks and worse company-"

Elio grabbed his arm, stopping both Xian and his rambling, "Hold on. Finish your food first. I can wait." He reacted his arm as Xian relaxed, "I was... simply attempting to make small talk."

Xian paused, then smiled before returning to his seat, "What, would you miss me too much, even in the few seconds I'm gon-"

"Why did you help me."

Xian stopped again, probably surprised that anyone would interrupt his flirting, "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Elio sighed into his mug, "I'm no one of importance to you. A regular of your establishment at best. However, I can promise that I'm not worth your time. I'd end up causing you far more grief than is worth saving my forsaken hide."

"That's not true."

Elio continued to state into his cup as Xian spoke.

"You're not nobody to me. You're driven, sharp, and passionate about your work. You bring a different sort of energy with you everywhere you go-"

Elio scoffs in response.

"Hush, I'm not done. That atmosphere you bring isn't one of despair. It isn't misfortune. It's something intrinsically 'you', and I honestly love being around it. Around you." Xian paused to take another sip of his own sugar-filled mocha coffee, "The energy you bring the cafe is merely a perk. Getting to know you as a friend is the best part of it all."

Friend. Elio hadn't had a friend in... Goodness, too long if he had to think about it. There were colleagues, partners, lovers... But never a friend. Unbeknownst to him, a small smile had appeared on his face.

"Is that a smile I see?" Xian teased.

Elio flinched, looking away, "I have no idea what you're taking about."

Xian smiled wider, then stood once more, "I think I have just the thing to perk you up too." He rummaged through his cabinets, soon pulling out a small bottle of liquid.

"I have some friends in low places who supply me with a few vital ingredients for my shop. I keep a bit here at home, just in case."

"Way to be subtle about your sources."

Xian brushed off the quip, "Take it in front of a mirror, and it should work wonders for your outlook. You know how supernatural things tend to work."

"I get the feeling I know what this is," Elio took the bottle, eyeing Xian suspiciously, "and I'm not sure I entirely welcome it, but I'll take it, if a friend is suggesting it."

Elio refuse to look at Xian, starting instead at the vial in his hands, but he didn't have to to know that a bright smile had graced the cupid's features.


End file.
